Love That Dirty Water

The first hints of spring and autumn always make me miss New England. Since 2007 I've spent a few summers in Massachusetts, but I effectively moved away when I was eighteen. While Michigan does have beautiful landscapes and Chicago has a lakefront, these seasons make me wish I was back on the beach in Ipswich, debating between fried clams or fish and chips for lunch. It's one of the many reasons I hesitate when answering the question "Where are you from?" when it comes up overseas. "Well, I live in Chicago, but I grew up outside Boston..."

A Dunkin Donuts ad? I must be in Boston.

With that, I give you the top five reasons I will pretty much always identify as a New Englander:

Eating My Way Through Autumn

On Labor Day, my sister and I went apple picking.  It was a perfect way to kick off the fall, but since I had just returned from a summer vacation, the idea of autumn starting so soon made me panic a little.  September?  When did that happen?  However, as we picked Macintosh and Gala apples (as well as peaches, strawberries, pears and a few tomatoes - this orchard was massive!) I started remembering why I often consider the fall my favorite season: the beautiful oranges, reds and yellows of the changing leaves; new books and new classes (though not for me this year); the crisp air that seems like a relief after a humid summer.  As I imagined myself wearing a puffy vest and crunching leaves under my feet, I also realized that much of my love for the fall has to do with food. 

This photo goes along with an article in the UK's Telegraph about "leaf peeping" in New England.

That makes looking at foliage sound like an unusual, shameful act 

instead of something that you'd do as you go antiquing in Western Mass.

Images of Summer

Every year in the dark of winter I huddle under my down blanket, Red Sox fleece, and other sheets with my hot cocoa and my cozy sheep and I think, "Man, I can't wait for the warm weather of summer. It's going to be so wonderful." And I sigh.

When I imagine summers, I get a few very specific pictures in mind.

First: Sipping lemonade while sitting in a flourishing garden

I have never actually read Anne of Green Gables, but my mom's best friend growing up and her family used to drive up to their house on Prince Edward Island every summer. My mom went a few times when she was younger, and when I was little I also got the chance to visit PEI. During my first visit, I toured the Anne of Green Gables house and gardens, and that summer I also checked out an Anne of Green Gables cookbook from my local library. The only recipe I tried was for homemade lemonade. I learned quickly that real lemon juice is not sugary. Because of the mix of PEI, happy vacations, nice weather, lemonade and a classic book that I still haven't read, my common idea of summer looks like this or this, plus a white adirondack chair and the aforementioned lemonade.

Beverages sold separately.

Second: Beaches in Massachusetts

On the great Bay State's north shore, Gloucester, Rockport, Ipswich and other towns right on the coast are gorgeous and have beautiful beaches. They also have histories as fishing ports, and as I walk along the water I often wish I lived in a lighthouse. In the past several years I've gone to the north shore for days at the beach, fried clams, and other relaxing summer activities. (In fact, one summer day at a beach in Ipswich, some of my friends tried to use lemon juice to lighten their hair, so lemons fit in here, too!) Being near the ocean is something I've always associated with summer.

Blue ocean, blue sky, salty smell in the air...

My lighthouse would also have a dragon.

Third: Piles of Books

When I was growing up, I never went to sleep away camp and only tried day camp for one week in elementary school. I spent my summers reading, writing, going to my brother's baseball games, and otherwise entertaining myself. I would go to the local library and bring home stacks of books. When I got to college and found that I had little time to read for fun, the idea of books during summer became even more clear in my mind. Summer was for fiction, for mysteries that have puns for titles and recipes in the back, and for telling myself I would read some of the more serious classics.

Part of this summer's pile

These images all mix in my head to create an ideal picture of summer. Then, when I am mentally preparing for my relaxation in the beautiful outdoors, summer arrives. I find myself wanting a shower after walking five blocks. I start grumbling about the heat and sunburns. I remember that I can never find shorts that fit quite right and I get annoyed by all those Back to School commercials that start in July. Construction projects are easier when there's no snow on the ground, so even if I wanted to sleep in, the screeching equipment that is undoubtedly nearby will wake me up by 8:00 am. By mid-July, I am eager to see the leaves change colors so I can drink apple cider, go to football games and feel that first cool, crisp fall breeze on my face.

And then I get to November...

Summer: Part I

Since I have one more week before I start working in the real world, I am going to try to take advantage of the extra time to update this blog more frequently! This week's topic: summer and everything I love about it.

When I think about summers, the first place my mind goes is to ice cream. This is partially because it is a wonderful warm-weather treat, but also because in my hometown, getting ice cream with friends is just about the only evening activity available between May and August. The rest of the town closes down at about 8:30, and while sometimes there are outdoor concerts or events, ice cream is the only thing to count on. Plus it's delicious. There are three ice cream places that have defined my summers from childhood until now.

Bedford Farms

Bedford Farms is a short drive from Lexington center, and I adore it primarily for its flavor burst soft serve. That's the type of ice cream that has the colored lines up the side of each swirl. Bedford Farms has a range of flavors in this style, including cotton candy (blue), butterscotch (golden), pistachio (green), and raspberry (pink). They also have great ice cream flavors, but since the flavor bursts are what make them different for me, that's what I stick to. After school in the spring my junior year of high school, some friends and I volunteered at one of the elementary school's science clubs. We had just enough time to run to Bedford Farms, devour some ice cream, and make it back for the 3:15 start of the program. Perfect.

Kimball's

There are several Kimball's around Massachusetts, but the one I went to growing up is in Carlisle. Its defining feature is the massive amount of ice cream you get, no matter what size you order. I can usually finish a kid's size, and sometimes a small, but even that's pushing it. When my uncle visited one summer, he ignored my family's warnings and ordered a large. He spent a good portion of the afternoon trying to get strangers to eat some of his extra ice cream. The ice cream is delicious, and they have dozens of flavors. It's also on a farm, so while you enjoy some Butter Pecan in a cone, you can watch chickens and goats. They're also open until 10, which is always a plus in suburbia.

Ranc's

Rancatore's opened in Lexington when I was in high school. As far as I know, it is still the only ice cream shop in Lexington center. Ranc's staff tends to be primarily LHS students, and it was rare that I could walk in without recognizing someone. (One of the first signs I was growing up was when I returned to Lexington during a college break and didn't know anyone working at Ranc's. It was a weird feeling.) Ranc's has creative ice cream flavors - my favorite has always been Gingersnap Molasses - and wonderful frappes. (Also, the fact that I can go in an order a frappe rather than a milkshake makes me feel like I'm at home again. I really missed the east coast when I was in Michigan.) Rancatore's is also the only place I know of in Lexington that is open until 11 pm, making it a go-to hang out spot for anyone who wants to be out of the house after 9.

There are tons of other great ice cream places around Massachusetts, but these are the three that always pop into my head. Summer to me has always meant ice cream, and ice cream has always meant Bedford Farms, Kimball's and Ranc's. So far I've found one place in Philadelphia that compares, so maybe my summer ice cream repertoire will be expanding soon.

Where are your favorite ice cream places in Massachusetts? In Ann Arbor? In Philly?